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Za'ro Von
Za'ro Von, also known as "The Monitor", was an information broker and would-be conqueror shrouded in mystery. History considers him to be the the most successful information broker of all time, with an intricate network of contacts and agents spanning across both Voldranias and the Old World. What he is most remembered for, however, was orchestrating an attempted coup of New Voldrania and genocide of the Old World now referred to as "The Monitor Invasion". Personal History Little is known about Von personally, other than what was gathered during a conversation between him and Akarvian scholar Natalie Evans during the climax of the Invasion. It was revealed that he suffered from multiple illnesses, most notably Kysteric and Hyperthymesia. The former allowed him to live for centuries, and with a combination of advanced Trikash technologies and magic, he was able to keep himself healthy and fit so long as he remained within range of his main chamber. The latter, hypterthymesia, gave him the gift and curse of a hyperactive memory that could remember everything he'd ever encountered with stunning detail. It is believed that this illness, coupled with a lifespan several times longer than normal humans, drove him slowly mad, leading him to make the decisions that led to the Monitor Invasion. After the Monitor Invasion, Evans was able to tie his claims to historical events. In 788 BE the son of emperor Ak'ar Von of the Tavrosian Empire, Za'ro Von, was abducted by pirates and never seen again, believed to have been killed. Evans was able to determine that the Monitor was, in fact, Za'ro Von, and that he had found himself in Trikash territory years after his abduction where he served as a human servant. Somehow he had survived their collapse, and began to travel New Voldrania before ultimately finding his way to Animadev where he settled and began forming his information network. For centuries the Monitor silently built his network of contacts and secret agents. Very few people ever met him personally, instead they worked through his most trusted agents, most notably Tougur Vazen. Most of his contacts had no idea they were in contact with the Monitor at all, they were often spied on, tricked into selling their information, or threatened for it. Many knew they were working for an information broker, but had no idea the extent of his reach. Through it all he kept his existence a secret to the world, sometimes sending agents into the field to trade information in order to influence politics or gain some sort of edge. At some point during this period Von constructed his Archives, a place to store the countless amounts of information he had gathered. The archives were later discovered by the Voldranians in 95 AE, but the extent of the information stored there would not be fully understood for several years. The Monitor Reveals Himself In 70 AE, after centuries of secrecy, the Monitor revealed himself to the world via letters secretly delivered to as many major political centers and news outlets as possible. This marked the beginning of a series of messages the Monitor would deliver to the residents of New Voldrania, referred to now as "The Monitor's Messages". Many doubted his existence, but for many experts the existence of this "Monitor" explained several mysteries caused by his secrecy. While the Monitor's existence was deemed plausible, he was still shrouded in mystery, only speaking to the Voldranians in written form. His location was a closely kept secret, with no one have even the first glimpse of where to search for him. As time went on the Monitor used his messages to reveal vital information about the Nether War, most notably about the Devourer and Inversion that seemed to be at odds. With the Monitor's assistance, leaders in the Nether War were able to gather vital intel that was ultimately necessary in winning the war. Following the conclusion of the Nether War in 76 AE, however, The Monitor again went silent. Occasionally isolated parties would receive messages from him directly, but his global messages stopped. Many wrote it off as an act of a hero trying to help save the world from the Nether War, others assumed he had died in the conflict, and others still remained suspicious. Prelude to the Monitor Invasion The Monitor's actions between the Nether War and the Monitor Invasion are largely unknown, but it is believed that this period of time is when the bulk of the work was done to prepare for the upcoming invasion. Construction of his weapons firing chamber and Project Colossus likely began during this time. It is believed that during this time he also orchestrated his acquisition of the Hearts of Lovuhkin and Daygrel, which were critical to his plans success. How they were acquied is largely a mystery, but the Monitor's right hand, Tougur Vazen, is believed to have played a large part. The Monitor Invasion In the last week of 93 AE the Monitor, suddenly, spoke out to the Voldranians once more. This time, though, he didn't talk about anything relevant to world affairs, he merely ambiguously talked about the unique abilities of certain materials, and powerful artefacts such as the hearts. The message itself was cryptic, and almost came off as rambling. It caused mass confusion among those who had been studying the Monitor and his actions, until the first day of the new year, when yet another message arrived. This message, his last, was an order to every nation to stand down, his invasion had begun. His network had been ingrained so deep into Voldranian society that he was able to peacefully usurp power in most nations within a few hours, before they even knew what was going on. His message continued on to threaten that disobedience would be met with an attack by a superweapon capable of firing as far north as Skylyn from the Siphon. He declared that he was doing this to end war and install an era of peace, and that the age of nations was over. For the next three weeks the Monitor silently watched as his plan came to fruition, but unknown to him, a group of liberated heroes had been plotting against him. In an orchestrated attack by combatants from several nations, The Monitor's superweapon was seized. Just as he learned of these events he was discovered by another party, led by Natalie Evans. Out of respect he shared information about himself, which turned out to be his way of stalling while he waited for his command ship to arrive and extract him. In a dramatic display he escaped onto his ship, leaving behind evidence of Project Colossus' existance. Evans would go on to warn the combatants who took the weapon while the rest of her team went on to disable Project Colossus. Before the Monitor could reach the weapon to retake control of it his ship was intercepted by one of the strike teams that had been warned by Evans. He sent Tougur Vazen after them, but the fight was stopped when the superweapon was turned on the Monitors ship, missing but knocking it off balance. Vazen was ejected off the ship while the heroes went to confront the Monitor, who had already escaped in an ejected capsule. With his disappearence the Monitor Invasion concluded. Post Invasion The Monitor escaped following the invasion, but he is believed to have survived. However, his network of contacts had revealed themselves in the Invasion, and within a few months almost all of them had been rounded up by law enforcement to face justice. Without the Monitor's guidance his network fell apart. His location is unknown, but he is no longer considered to be as prominent a threat as he once was. Nevertheless, his right hand Tougur Vazen, who survived the battle, continued on in the Monitor's name, working to prevent war and achieve his goals. Category:New Voldranians Category:Old Worlders Category:Characters Category:Other Characters Category:Scholars Category:Villains